Crushing on Nashville Mexican Restaurants

This week, my crushing on Nashville post is a few days early, nudging you to try any of these favorites over the weekend.

Let’s start with the premier Mexican Cultural Center, Plaza Mariachi.

Plaza Mariachi is a latino cultural center on Nolensville road. There are several eateries from casual to more fancy. This is a must visit center. There’s food, coffee, entertainment, and grocery. You can check out the directory to see the places to try. You will find palatas, tacos, street corn, gryos, lattes, aqua frescos and so much more!

Here’s what I’ve had at Las Tapas. They offer a menu of rotating tapas and tuna tartare was a special that day.

Here’s the steak and potatoes I’ve had at Tres Gauchos. You can see how good this hangar steak was.

There are a few Nashville Mexican restaurants that really have my heart and their very different from each other.

Bar Taco is trendy, but friendly and casual and a little upscale. You can eat healthy here, by getting lettuce wrapped tacos. See the article I wrote about them here.

St. Anejo in the gulch has the best brunch, sangria and chorizo queso. They have premium tequila and a mezcal menu with over 120 labels. Large-group friendly and you can rent out the tequila bar upstairs for a private party.

Taco Mamacita in Edgehill Village- Funky fusion tacos and skinny margaritas, but go for the sweet potato fries. I especially like the taco choices and the sweet potato fries. If you are low-carbing it, they have a chicken with green sauce.

Local Taco in Sylvan Park, East Nashville and Brentwood. I admit I like the southern fried buttermilk chicken taco.

Chago’s Cantina I just sampled the food at food events. Fresh Mexican and Latin American.

Williamson County Mexican Restaurants

Los Primos Grocery and Bakery in Franklin – This is the most authentic place in Franklin. It’s a Mexican bakery, grocery store and out the door line for tacos. They have all kinds of prepared meat, including goat. This is the place I buy Mexican Crema and all kinds of Mexican groceries.

Pueblo Real (in Franklin) – This is a hidden gem that everyone in Franklin knows about, because it’s always busy. I love the chips and the service and pretty much anything on the menu. It’s the type of Mexican restaurant that’s not modern nor cool and everything comes with rice and beans. I especially like their Tacos Pastor. There is an awesome paletas store on the side of the building.

Pueblo Real, my little secret cheap and wonderful place. Don’t go this weekend unless you go at 4:00. They are just as crowded on Monday nights. I can’t believe I’m sharing this. It’s hard enough to get a seat.

El Segundo in my neighborhood in Franklin. Once a week night we get a chicken tortilla soup to go. It’s all chicken, with a little rice and they provide tortilla strips, avocado slices and pico de gallo on the side. My next favorite thing is their shrimp cocktail. I’ll get the large as an entree. Get it and see why!

Uncle Julio’s – has a great happy hour and ask them to make you their version of a skinny margarita, not the mix.

This is just a sampling of places. There are lots of great cheap taco places in the Nolensville road area.

Do you have a favorite I didn’t mention? I’d love to include them.

Get Authentic Mexican Pops at Las Paletas

Las Paletas Cool off with wildly inventive Las Paletas Gourmet Popsicles dipped in Olive & Sinclair, or any number of fruited popsicles.

Here are few of my Favorite Mexican recipes that I make for Cinco De Maya.

Carnitas is one of my most popular posts here at Spinach Tiger. I’ve made this so many times and it’s a party favorite. We love it with Roasted Salsa Verde.

Angela – Just wanted to tell you that the first time I have ever heard my brother-in-law mention a blog in conversation, ever, it was this past weekend, mentioning this round-up of restaurants. Got us talking about tacos and places to try soon! : )

Good Mexican restaurants are not the norm here but as soon as I cross the border into the States it is a different story. While in Seattle I went to a place north of there in Anacortes that is a real treasure.